this is a big symbolic lift for the obama campaign after that really bad debate. they had the jobs numbers on friday and this today. it helps the campaign reassure their base and their supporters that hey, things are going on track. jim messina, the obama campaign manager sent out an e-mail touting the numbers. it reassures the base, saying forget about the debate. the people are with us and we have the money to carry the campaign forward. >> sometimes timing is everything. how crucial is this boon in cash collections with just a month to go before election day? >> it's tremendous. again, the debate was one thing, but the campaign is being waged in a series of battleground states on television airwaves, in mailboxes. really trying to reach voters. the romney campaign has said they have been saving up a bunch of money for this last sort of stretch. this money also shows that the obama campaign really can count on small donors and online fund-raising and raising money from text messages. they had started doing that this year, too, in a way that the romney campaign c